Getting Involved

[covertlycrunchy]

Hello,

Looking for beginner tips on getting more involved in 'things'. I work PT out of the home (2 yr old at home and a 4 yr old at school) and feel really isolated & I'm looking to get some kind of social life & participate in things that interest me and that I could make a difference in. But I need to start small and work my way up & don't know where to start. I'm an atheist, so the church thing is out.

Any ideas/tips/stories on how *you* started to get involved with your cause of choice?

[Callimom]

I think I would suggest starting with an area that interests you (environment, peace activism, literacy, animal rights, poverty, arts etc) and seeing if there is a volunteer/social action group you can volunteer with or join in around that interest.

Your city might have a volunteer centre that could give you a place to start.

If you have a Unitarian Universalist congregation near you, they are often plugged into the social justice groups around their areas - and they welcome people of all world views, including Atheists.

In terms of starting to volunteer, I would suggest committing to a one time or small scale project initially to see if the organization and cause are a good fit for you. Then you can decide if it is something you want to do on a ongoing basis.

For me personally I started doing things because my kids were interested in them and it has kind of snowballed from there.

Good luck
Karen

[Turquesa]

Originally Posted by covertlycrunchy

Any ideas/tips/stories on how *you* started to get involved with your cause of choice?

Oh, that's easy! I had a baby. It was through whole process of researching my childbirth options that I became outraged at how women are treated in the U.S. maternity "care" system. I was fortunate in that by having a baby with midwives and joining their in-house mother's group, I became personally acquainted with like-minded activists.

But once you identify your cause of choice, you may need to do some web searching to see what types of related activities are going on in your area. You also may need to be willing to initiate it on your own, if you don't find anything. Publicize a meeting and just see who shows up. You may be surprised.